Personal Budgets & Direct Payments
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If you are eligible for financial help towards the cost of the care and support you need, Norfolk County Council will help you to develop a Care Plan, setting out how you can get the care and support you need. They will contribute an amount towards these costs. This is called your Personal Budget. This is the amount of money Norfolk County Council works out that it will cost to meet the needs which the Council is going to meet.
A personal budget gives you choice and control over the care and support you need. When they develop your Care Plan with you, you will be given an estimate of how much they will pay and how much you need to contribute (as you may have to pay something towards the cost of the services you need).
When organising any care and support funded by Norfolk County Council, you have two options:
Ask Norfolk County Council to arrange one or more services for you. They will make all the arrangements directly with providers and pay using your Personal Budget.
Arrange one or more services yourself. Norfolk County Council will pay your Personal Budget to you in the form of a Direct Payment, giving you more control over the care you receive.
Direct payments
As part of your assessment and developing your care plan, Norfolk County Council will advise you about what a direct payment can be used for. They can also put you in touch with other organisations who can provide advice about:
Understanding personal budgets and arranging your own support;
Managing direct payments;
Identifying services you may wish to arrange;
Recruiting, employing and managing personal assistants.
It is possible for a nominated person to take a direct payment on someone else’s behalf. This may include an authorised individual where the person needing care and support lacks capacity.
When considering any request for a direct payment Norfolk County Council will need to be satisfied that the money will be managed appropriately.
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